Criquet Shirts · 8 hours ago
Design Director
Austin, TX
Full-time
Hybrid
Director/Executive
10+ years expCriquet Shirts is seeking a seasoned Design Director to lead the creative product vision and drive innovation while maintaining the brand's identity. The role involves overseeing product design, collaborating cross-functionally, and mentoring the design team to achieve excellence in menswear design.
E-CommerceFashionLifestyleMen's
Hiring Manager
Jennifer Wei
Responsibilities
Lead Creative Vision: Own product design direction from concept through customer experience. Own seasonal concept, thinking in terms of product launches and drops to create a cohesive collection. Design into seasonal line strategies that balance innovation with commercial needs (sales data, AUR, SKU productivity, channel requirements), collaborating closely with Merchandising and Product Development throughout the development process. Create a through-line from inspiration and market research, to seasonal concept and collection, to marketing handoff and customer experience
Trend Forecasting: Translate fashion, lifestyle trends, and cultural insights into compelling, consumer-relevant products. Anticipate what’s next while protecting our brand identity and differentiating from our competitors. Balance trends and vintage nostalgia with modern fabrics and fit
Customer-centric approach: Center every design decision on what the Criquet man would prefer, how he would wear it, and why he would purchase it. Approach design with curiosity and “what don’t we know?” Take swift action on both internal and customer feedback, and apply learnings from sales results
Product Excellence: Have a mindset that the quest for the perfect shirt is never complete. Lead fabric and trim selection with a focus on comfort, ease of care, consistency, and elevated quality. Lead color assortment and artwork development to balance trend and historical data. Own expression of fit of garments and liaise with fit team to ensure fit, quality, end use, and construction details follow design intent
Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with technical design, sourcing, production, and merchandising to deliver on calendar milestones, financial goals, and quality. Develop strong internal cross-functional relationships with Merchandising, Product Development, Sales, and Marketing to ensure the process from product concept to product launch is built on collaboration, common strategy, and working toward the same goal
Communication and Presentation: Own and lead design milestone meetings, including content, format, and timing of meetings. Win support and buy-in from executive and cross-functional teams on product design, color assortment, and seasonal collection. Drive for results, partnership, and effective decision-making in these meetings
Team Development: Mentor, inspire, and grow the design team (currently one direct report of Designer, with Associate Designer and Assistant Designer reporting into her). Set high creative standards while fostering curiosity, collaboration, accountability, continuous learning, and innovation
Qualification
Required
10+ years in menswear design, with at least 5 years in a leadership role
Experience at a DTC/omni-channel brand preferred, with proven growth results
A broad apparel design background across multiple product categories and fabrications is required
Degree in Apparel Design or a closely-related creative field
Must be based in (or willing to relocate to) Austin, TX, and thrive in a hybrid collaborative team office environment
Expert in Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator/Photoshop) and PLM systems
Excellent presentation skills, tailoring your message to your audience
Ability to travel domestically for market research and tradeshows (4-6x per year), and internationally to visit manufacturers and suppliers (1-2x per year)
An elevated eye for color, pattern, and silhouette with a deep appreciation for vintage menswear and golf culture
Keen understanding of and curiosity about consumer shopping patterns, outfitting, and end use
Preferred
Experience with cloud-based collaborative design tools such as InDesign, Miro, or Figma is a plus
Proficiency in 3D design software and AI-assisted creative tools is a major plus
Benefits
Competitive compensation
Bonus opportunities
Benefits
Company
Criquet Shirts
Criquet Shirts is a manufacturer of vintage-inspired golf shirts, polos, button-downs, and sweaters for men, women, and children.
11-50 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Early StageTotal Funding
$2.35MKey Investors
CircleUp
2020-01-13Seed· $0.68M
2018-01-02Debt Financing· $0.28M
2016-09-01Series A· $1.4M
Leadership Team
Hobson Brown
Co-Founder, Head Marketing Pro
Company data provided by crunchbase